In the early hours of Friday, Valter, along with firefighters, fled his home towards the wind turbines around 2 a.m. From the high ground, he watched as his mobile home was engulfed in flames until it was no longer visible, forcing him to leave, as he told the news agency Lusa. Valter, 42, recounted the incident.
The mobile home Valter Martins shared with his partner Liliana was meant to be a temporary solution while they rebuilt their residence in Silveira de Cima, where they have lived since 2012.
“I lost everything inside. Stoves, machines, batteries, solar panels, everything. I only managed to save my animals and my vehicles,” he stated.
Moreover, the house under reconstruction was spared from the fire that broke out on Thursday in Candal and climbed the hillside that night.
“I planned to finish rebuilding the house in six months, but now it has to be in two or three months due to the urgency,” he said.
Currently homeless, he is living in his work van and using the campsite, even though several friends have offered him accommodation.
To address the losses, he launched a fundraising campaign (gofundme.com/f/vitimas-do-incendio-da-lousa) not only to recover from the loss of his mobile home but also to help the animals in Serra da Lousã, a cause he has supported in the past.
“I had several orphaned deer that I raised. They roamed freely, but it’s necessary to provide them with some hay, as I have seen herds of them in the mountains,” he explained.
Similarly, in Cabanões, also in the Lousã municipality, José Francisco’s house, which he began rebuilding around a year ago, was destroyed by the fire.
“I hadn’t made major interventions yet, but I lost material and tools. Structurally, I’ll have to spend much more now to recover, as all the walls need to be taken down. The costs will be substantially higher,” said the 34-year-old electrical engineer to Lusa, now facing a more expensive and time-consuming reconstruction.
Previously anticipating making it his primary residence in one to two years, he now does not foresee completing the project in less than five years.
Nevertheless, he emphasized that he would proceed with the reconstruction, which holds significant sentimental value for his family, as mentioned by the young man who works in Serpins and is originally from Lousã, with his mother hailing from Cabanões.
On Friday morning, José Francisco was in the village but had to leave to assist family members around lunchtime.
Upon his return, the house had already burned, and the fire had passed, with only six people remaining in Cabanões to fight the blaze until firefighters arrived at 10 p.m. that day.
In addition to the house, the changes to the landscape near the village, where he had already made some interventions, also returned to square one.
Despite everything, José Francisco believes the community is now stronger “to accomplish things that were postponed for too long.”
“There is much support from the local community, residents, and friends. In this sense, I am hopeful for the future,” he affirmed.
